Aden: A European Union (EU) naval mission said on Saturday that new attempts are underway to salvage an oil tanker ablaze in the Red Sea af...
Aden: A European Union (EU) naval mission said on Saturday that new attempts are underway to salvage an oil tanker ablaze in the Red Sea after attacks by Yemen’s Houthi forces.
The EU naval mission, Operation Aspides, shared
images on social media platform X showing its vessels escorting rescuing ships
to the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion. The photos were dated Saturday, Xinhua
news agency reported.
“The salvage operation of the MV Sounion is
essential in order to avert a potential environmental disaster in the region,”
the mission said in a statement.
“To achieve this, several public and private actors
are working together.” The mission added that its assets were “actively
involved in this complex endeavor, by creating a secure environment, which is
necessary for the tugboats to conduct the towing operation.”
The Sounion vessel, carrying about one million
barrels of crude oil, was attacked by Houthi forces on August 21 with small
arms, projectiles, and a drone boat. The 29-member crew, including Filipinos,
Russians, and private security personnel, were evacuated by a French destroyer
to Djibouti.
Houthi forces later released footage on August 29
showing them boarding and placing explosives on the oil tanker, detonating
blasts that threatened a major oil spill in the Red Sea.
The Houthi group, which controls large swathes of
northern Yemen, has been attacking international shipping near the country’s
coastline since November 2023, allegedly in support of Palestinians in the
Israel-Hamas conflict.
The US-led naval coalition in the region has
intensified strikes against Houthi military sites in response, further
escalating the conflict.
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